Handle on doors, hoods or the like, especially for vehicles

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a handle comprising a stationary handle part ( 10, 20 ) located in a recess in the outer surface of the door ( 40 ) and a movable handle part serving as actuating element ( 30 ) that is mounted therein. In order to improve operating comfort, an electrode of a capacitor is arranged in the area of the handle part, said electrode generating an electrical field. An electronic device monitors the electrical field. When the hand of a human being approaches the actuating element ( 30 ), the electronic device is actuated and carries out a given function in the motor vehicle, e.g. it unlocks the door-lock. In order to ensure universal application of said handle, the electrode of the capacitor is integrated into an additional housing ( 16 ), which is arranged, if necessary, on the surface of the handle parts ( 10 ). By mounting or removing said additional housing ( 16 ), the handle can be converted into a luxury configuration with surveillance or a standard configuration without surveillance.

The invention pertains to a handle of the type indicated in theintroductory clause of claim 1.

Handles of this type are known from DE 196 17 038 A1 and are veryconvenient to operate. The approach of the human hand to the handle isenough to change the electrical field produced by the electrode of thecapacitor to such an extent that the change can be recognized by themonitoring circuit. When this happens, it is then possible for thedesired functions in the motor vehicle to be initiated immediatelywithout the need for any further participation by the user.

Because it should be possible only for authorized persons to activatevehicle functions, this type of activation is often used in conjunctionwith a so-called “keyless go” system. In this case, the authorizedperson carries an identification transmitter in the form of, forexample, a check card. When the authorized person approaches thevehicle, the identification transmitter interacts with an identificationreceiver in the vehicle. If the identification receiver recognizes theauthorization, it will activate the electronic circuitry. If the personapproaching is not authorized and thus does not have the properidentification transmitter, no functions are activated in the vehicle.

So that these measures can be implemented, the known handle (DE 196 17038 A1) had to be designed in a “luxury” manner. This means that amulti-part handle must be produced, so that a socket for the electrodeand for additional components of the associated capacitor circuitry canbe created between the individual parts of the handle. After theseelectrical components are installed, the individual parts of the handlemust be put back together again, and the joints and spaces between themmust be carefully filled with plastic. This luxury handle designtherefore required numerous casting molds for the production of theindividual parts, and time-consuming assembly steps are required toassemble the individual parts and to seal them off against the intrusionof media.

For price reasons, many vehicle users choose to live without this typeof luxury handle and are satisfied with a simple, “standard” design,which does not offer electronic monitoring. The handles for a standarddesign of this type require their own injection molds and their ownproduction processes, and they must also be stocked separately from theluxury design handles. Because of the differences between the standarddesign and the luxury design, the amount of fabrication, administration,and assembly work is doubled. When the handles are installed on thevehicles, attention must be paid to the difference between the two typesof handles. This can be cumbersome and can also lead to errors.

The invention is based on the task of developing a reliable handle ofthe type indicated in the introductory clause of claim 1 which avoidsthe previously mentioned disadvantages and which can be produced andassembled more economically. This is accomplished according to theinvention by the additional measures cited in claim 1, to which thefollowing special meaning attaches.

In the invention, a very simple base handle, which is suitable both forthe luxury design and for the standard design, is produced first. Thereis no longer any need to differentiate between the two types of handlesduring fabrication, for stock keeping, or even for the installation ofthe handle. This differentiation can wait until the last moment. Becauseof its double-purpose applicability, therefore, the base handle can beproduced in much larger numbers and for this reason alone can beproduced more cheaply. With respect to its production, the base handlecomprises initially a handle of the standard design. For the luxurydesign, a supplemental housing, which is initially separate, isprovided, into which at least the electrode for the capacitor andpossibly also other components of the associated electronic circuitryare integrated. When it is desired to obtain a luxury handle, thissupplemental housing is mounted afterwards on the surface of one of thehandle parts. For this purpose, it is possible, for example, to provideconnecting means on the stationary part of the handle, this meanscooperating with complementary connecting means on the supplementalhousing. Attaching the supplemental housing afterwards to the handlepart thus converts the base handle intended for the standard design intothe desired luxury-design handle. This conversion between the standarddesign and the luxury design can be performed quickly and cheaply.

If necessary, it is also possible to remove the attached supplementalhousing from the handle part at a later time in order to convert, forexample, a luxury design back to a standard design. This removal of thesupplemental housing with its integrated capacitor electrode is alsoadvantageous in cases where defects in the capacitor electrode or in theelectronic circuitry are detected. A luxury handle can therefore berepaired quickly and cheaply if necessary according to the inventionsimply by replacing the supplemental housing containing the defectiveelectronic circuitry with a new supplemental housing. The connectingmeans always ensure that the capacitor electrode will be positionedcorrectly in the handle.

Additional measures and advantages of the invention can be derived fromthe subclaims, from the following description, and from the drawings.The drawings illustrate the invention on the basis of an exemplaryembodiment:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the assembled handle according to theinvention, where—for the sake of clarity—the door panel between thegripping element and a carrier have been made invisible, their positionsbeing merely indicated in dash-dot line;

FIG. 2 shows a preassembled unit consisting of a gripping element and agripping recess, which already belongs to the stationary part of thehandle;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a combination housing for twodifferent capacitor electrodes with their associated circuitry; and

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1 of anadditional element of the stationary handle part supplementing thecomponents of FIGS. 2 and 3, after this additional element has beenmounted on the outside skin of the door, which is invisible here andmerely indicated in dash-dot line, where the combination housing shownin FIG. 3 has already been attached to the rear surface of the outerdoor skin and is therefore covered except for a small projecting piece.

In the exemplary embodiment of the inventive handle shown in FIG. 1.,the stationary handle part consists of two elements 10, 20, namely, acarrier 10 and a so-called gripping recess 20. In an alternative design,it would also be possible to replace the two elements 10, 20 with asingle common stationary handle part.

The inventive handle also includes a movable handle part 30, namely, agripping element, which, in the present case, has a swivel axis 31, sothat it can swivel with respect to both the gripping recess 20 and thecarrier 10. For this purpose, duplicate swivel bearing parts 32, 33 areprovided; although they are different in design, they act in concertwith each other.

The one swivel bearing part 32 consists of an arm 34 at one end of thegripping element; a bearing block 35 on the rear surface of the grippingrecess 20; and a bearing pin 36, which connects the components 34, 35.Thus, as FIG. 2 illustrates, the gripping recess 20 can be combined withthe gripping element 30 to form a pre-mountable unit 21. The grippingrecess 20 in this case has a profile which appears concave when seenfrom the outside, as a result of which the arc-shaped handle 30 can beeasily gripped by a human hand.

The unit 21, as can be seen in FIG. 1, is attached to the visibleoutside surface 41 of the outer door skin 40, indicated here only indash-dot line. The previously mentioned carrier 10, however, is attachedto the opposite inside surface 42 of the outer door skin 40. For thesake of this attachment, the gripping recess 20 and the carrier 10 havecooperating connecting means 11. These make it possible for the twoelements 10, 20 to be tensioned against each other, as a result of whichthe outer door skin 40 comes to rest in a sandwich-like manner betweenthe elements 10, 20. The outer door skin has an opening (not shown),which is adapted to the outline 22 shown in FIG. 2. To make sure thatthe gripping recess remains in its proper position, the carrier 10 alsohas suitable supports 12, as can be seen in FIG. 4.

When the two elements 10, 20 of the stationary handle part are attachedto each other, a connection is also established at the same time betweena connecting element 37 provided at the other end of the handle and anopposing connecting element (not shown), which is a component of thesecond swivel bearing part 33 mentioned in conjunction with FIG. 1.

In the stationary handle part, finally, there is also a lock cylinder13. In the present case, as FIG. 4 illustrates, this cylinder is mountedin the carrier 10, and its output part 14 is then connected to anassociated lock or to the central locking system of the vehicle. As canbe seen in FIG. 2, the gripping recess 20 also has an attached section23, which extends laterally from the gripping element 30, and, as can beseen FIG. 1, it covers the end surface of the lock cylinder 13.

In the area of the stationary handle part, a two-part electrode 26 isprovided, which is accommodated in the supplemental housing 16 shown inFIG. 3. This electrode belongs to a capacitor, which can build up anelectrical field in the area of the gripping element 30. When a humanhand approaches the gripping element 30, the electrical field is changedto such an extent that an electronic circuit designed to monitor thiscondition responds and initiates defined functions in the vehicle,namely, the release of the lock which is keeping the door closed. Atleast some of these electronic components are also installed inside thesupplemental housing 16. This supplemental housing 16, as can be derivedfrom FIG. 4 and FIG. 1, is attached to the rear surface of the carrier10. For this purpose, the supplemental housing 16 has connecting means18, as can be seen in FIG. 3, which cooperate with corresponding,opposing connecting means on the carrier 10 or on the gripping recess20. As a result, the electrode 26 will always occupy a defined positionwith respect to the gripping element 30. To prevent disassembly byunauthorized persons, the connecting and opposing connecting means canbe designed so that they cannot be detached from each other after theyhave been engaged.

When the inventive handle is equipped with the supplemental housing 16containing the electrode 36, the approach of a human hand, as previouslyexplained, has the result that locking means —under the assumption thatthey were in their locking position in the door lock to begin with—aremoved into the release position. This occurs, of course, only if anauthorized person approaches the handle. This authorized person carriesan identification transmitter, which exchanges signals with anidentification receiver forming part of the electronic circuitry in thesupplemental housing 16. If proper authorization has been determined,the receiver actuates the electronic circuitry. It is desirable,however, to take measures to prevent the system from operating inreverse, that is, to prevent the door lock from moving from its releaseposition into its locking position when the hand of an authorized personapproaches the handle.

For this purpose, a second electrode 27, shown in FIG. 3, is used, whichis installed in a separate, auxiliary housing 17. This auxiliary housing17 ensures that this second electrode 27 is located in a different place24 in the handle, namely, the place which the human hand of theauthorized person normally approaches when the attempt is being made tolock the door lock. This place 24 is, for example, the end surface ofthe lock cylinder 13 mounted in the carrier 10, as illustrated in FIG.4. The user is accustomed, after all, to move his/her hand toward thelock cylinder 13 when locking the door lock. In this case, the hand willautomatically arrive in the area of the place 24, where the secondelectrode 27 is located if the auxiliary housing 17 has been attached.

In the present case, the auxiliary housing 17 is permanently connectedto the supplemental housing 16 and forms the housing unit 15 shown inFIG. 3. This housing unit 15 can be attached by common connecting meansto the rear surface of the carrier 10 so that it properly positions thetwo electrodes 26, 27, i.e., one at the previously mentioned place 24near the lock cylinder 13, the other near the rear surface of thegripping recess at the desired point in the carrier 10 indicated by thenumber 25 in FIG. 4. The housing unit 15 also carries the contact means19 shown in FIG. 3, which establishes the electrical connection with thepower supply if the unit has been attached properly by the connectingmeans 18.

List of Reference Numbers

-   10 first element of the stationary housing part, carrier-   11 connecting means for 10 or 20 to 40 (FIG. 4)-   12 support for 20 on 10 (FIG. 4)-   13 lock cylinder in 10 (FIG. 4)-   14 output part of 13 (FIG. 4)-   15 housing unit consisting of 16, 17; combination housing (FIG. 3)-   16 supplemental housing for 26. (FIG. 3)-   17 auxiliary housing for 27 (FIG. 3)-   18 connecting means for 13 on 10 or 20 (FIG. 3)-   19 contact means on 15 (FIG. 3)-   20 second element of the stationary handle part, gripping recess    (FIG. 2)-   21 unit consisting of 20 and 30 (FIG. 2)-   22 outline of 20 (FIG. 2)-   23 cover section on 20 for 13 (FIG. 2)-   24 location for 27 on 10 (FIG. 4)-   25 location for 26 on 10. (FIG. 4)-   26 first electrode in 16 (FIG. 3)-   27 second electrode in 17 (FIG. 3)-   30 movable handle part, gripping element (FIGS. 1, 2)-   31 swivel axis of 30 with respect to 20 and 30 (FIGS. 1, 2)-   32 first swivel bearing part for 30 (FIGS. 1, 2)-   33 second swivel bearing part (FIG. 1)-   34 arm on 30 for 32 (FIG. 2)-   35 bearing block on 20 for 36 (FIG. 2)-   36 bearing pin on 32 (FIG. 2)-   37 connecting element on 30 for 33 (FIG. 2)-   40 outer skin of door (FIG. 1)-   41 outside surface of 40 (FIG. 1)-   42 inside surface of 40 (FIG. 1)

1. Handle on doors, hoods, or the like especially for vehicles, with astationary handle part (10, 20), which can be mounted in a recess in theouter skin of the door (40); with a gripping element (30), which acts asa movable handle part and is supported (31) on the stationary handlepart (10, 20); with an electrode (26) of an electrical field-generatingcapacitor, located in the area of the handle part; and with anelectronic circuit for generating and monitoring this electrical field;where the electronic circuit responds to the approach of a human hand tothe gripping element (30) and, if the response is positive, initiatesdefined functions in the motor vehicle such as the unlocking of the doorlock, characterized in that the electrode (26) of the capacitor isintegrated into a supplemental housing (16); and in that thesupplemental housing (16) can be located if needed by the connectingmeans (18) on the surface of one of the handle parts (10).
 2. Handleaccording to claim 1, wherein the stationary handle part consists of twoelements (10, 20), which can be assembled with each other, namely, acarrier (10), which is attached to the inside surface (42) of the outerdoor skin (40), and a gripping recess (20), which can be mounted on theoutside surface (41) of the outer door skin (40).
 3. Handle according toclaim 2, wherein the gripping element (30) is connected by a swivel axis(31) to the gripping recess (20).
 4. Handle according to claim 2,wherein connecting means (11) are located between the gripping recess(20) and the carrier (10), which is mounted on the outer door skin (40),which connecting means hold these two parts on opposite sides (41, 42)of the outer door skin (40).
 5. Handle according to claim 1, wherein thesupplemental housing (16) is located on the rear surface of thestationary handle part, especially on the rear surface of the carrier(10).
 6. Handle according to claim 1, wherein complementary connectingmeans (18) are located on the surface of the stationary handle part (10)and on the supplemental housing (16), and in that, after theseconnecting means have engaged with each other, they hold the electrode(26) of the capacitor in a defined position with respect to the grippingelement (30).
 7. Handle according to claim 6, wherein the connectingmeans (18) are undetachable after they have engaged with each other. 8.Handle according to claim 1, wherein one of the functions initiatedafter a positive response consists in that locking means provided in thedoor lock are moved from the normally present locking position into arelease position.
 9. Handle according to claim 1, wherein at least oneadditional electrode (27) of second capacitor is provided for theinitiation of other functions in the motor vehicle; in that theadditional electrode (27) is integrated into an auxiliary housing (17),which can be located, if desired, in a different place (24) on thesurface of the handle parts (10, 20); and in that a separate evaluationcircuit is provided to generate and to monitor an additional electricalfield, where this separate evaluation circuit responds to the approachof the human hand to a different place on the stationary or movablehandle part and initiates these other functions.
 10. Handle according toclaim 9, wherein this other function in the motor vehicle consists ofswitching the unlocked door lock back into its locking position. 11.Handle according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary housing (17) and thesupplemental housing (16) are permanently connected to each other andcan be mounted by means of common fastening means (18) to the surface ofthe handle parts (10, 20, 30).
 12. Handle according to claim 11, whereinthe auxiliary housing (17) is designed as an integral part of thesupplemental housing (16) and forms together with it a housing unit (15)which can be mounted in a single operation.
 13. Handle according toclaim 1, where the stationary handle part (20) has a visible-side coversection (23), which represents an extension of the at-rest grippingelement (30), under which cover section a lock cylinder (13) can belocated, if needed, wherein the auxiliary housing (17) with itsadditional electrode (27) is located in the area (24) of this coversection (23).
 14. Handle according to claim 2, wherein the cover section(23) is a component of the gripping recess (20); and in that the carrier(10) has an opening, through which, during assembly, the auxiliaryhousing (17) with its associated additional electrode (27) or thecorresponding area of the housing unit (15) consisting of thecombination of the supplemental and auxiliary housings (16, 17) ispassed.